Query suggestions based on entity collections of one or more past queries

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for providing query suggestions to a user based on one or more past queries submitted by the user. Candidate query suggestions responsive to a current query may be identified. A candidate query similarity measure may be determined for a given candidate query suggestion based on matching entities related to the given candidate query suggestion and the one or more past queries. In some implementations, the similarity measure of the given candidate query suggestion may be based on a comparison of current entities of the given candidate query suggestion that match entities of one or more past queries, to a group of the current entities that includes entities that do not match the entities of one or more past queries. In some implementations a ranking of the candidate query suggestions may be determined based on the similarity measure.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method implemented by one or more processors, comprising:
 receiving a partial query that is inputted by a user via a user interface input device of a computing device; 
 identifying a plurality of candidate query suggestions for the partial query; 
 determining that a past query, submitted by the user and via the computing device prior to input of the partial query, satisfies at least one criterion relative to the input of the partial query; 
 in response to determining that the past query satisfies the at least one criterion relative to the input of the partial query:
 selecting a given candidate query suggestion, of the candidate query suggestions, for display as a selectable suggestion for the partial query, based on determining that the given candidate query suggestion and the past query are both related to a particular entity, 
 wherein the given candidate suggestion is in addition to the past query; and 
 
 causing the selected given candidate query suggestion to be displayed as the selectable suggestion for the partial query, the display of the given candidate query suggestion being via a user interface output device of the computing device. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one criterion includes a temporal criterion. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the temporal criterion is that the current query is inputted within a threshold amount of time following the past query. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one criterion includes a positional criterion. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein the positional criterion is that the current query is the first query inputted via the computing device following the past query. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein selecting the given candidate query suggestion based on determining that the given candidate query suggestion and the past query are both related to the particular entity, comprises:
 identifying an initial ranking of the given candidate query suggestion, for the partial query; 
 modifying the initial ranking based on determining that the given candidate query suggestion and the past query are both related to the particular entity; and 
 selecting the given candidate query suggestion based on the modification of the initial ranking. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 determining an overall popularity measure for the particular entity; 
 wherein modifying the initial ranking is based on the overall popularity measure for the particular entity. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the particular entity is an entity collection. 
     
     
       9. A system comprising:
 memory storing instructions; 
 one or more processors operable to execute the instructions stored in the memory to:
 receive a partial query that is inputted by a user via a user interface input device of a computing device; 
 identify a plurality of candidate query suggestions for the partial query; 
 determine that a past query, submitted by the user and via the computing device prior to input of the partial query, satisfies at least one criterion relative to the input of the partial query; 
 in response to determining that the past query satisfies the at least one criterion relative to the input of the partial query:
 select a given candidate query suggestion, of the candidate query suggestions, for display as a selectable suggestion for the partial query, based on determining that the given candidate query suggestion and the past query are both related to a particular entity, 
 wherein the given candidate suggestion is in addition to the past query; and 
 
 cause the selected given candidate query suggestion to be displayed, along with the partial query, as the selectable suggestion for the partial query, the display of the given candidate query suggestion being via a user interface output device of the computing device. 
 
 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one criterion includes a temporal criterion. 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the temporal criterion is that the current query is inputted within a threshold amount of time following the past query. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one criterion includes a positional criterion. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 12 , wherein the positional criterion is that the current query is the first query inputted via the computing device following the past query. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 9 , wherein in selecting the given candidate query suggestion based on determining that the given candidate query suggestion and the past query are both related to the particular entity, one or more of the processors are to:
 identify an initial ranking of the given candidate query suggestion, for the partial query; 
 modify the initial ranking based on determining that the given candidate query suggestion and the past query are both related to the particular entity; and 
 select the given candidate query suggestion based on the modification of the initial ranking. 
 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 14 , wherein one or more of the processors are further to:
 determine an overall popularity measure for the particular entity; 
 wherein the instructions to modify the initial ranking include instructions to modify the initial ranking based on the overall popularity measure for the particular entity. 
 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 9 , wherein the particular entity is an entity collection. 
     
     
       17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computing device instructions executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:
 receiving a partial query that is inputted by a user via a user interface input device of a computing device; 
 identifying a plurality of candidate query suggestions for the partial query; 
 determining that a past query, submitted by the user via the computing device prior to input of the partial query, satisfies at least one criterion relative to the input of the partial query; 
 in response to determining that the past query satisfies the at least one criterion relative to the input of the partial query:
 selecting a given candidate query suggestion, of the candidate query suggestions, for display as a selectable suggestion for the partial query, based on determining that the given candidate query suggestion and the past query are both related to a particular entity, 
 wherein the given candidate suggestion is in addition to the past query; and 
 
 causing the selected given candidate query suggestion to be displayed as the selectable suggestion for the partial query, the display of the given candidate query suggestion being via a user interface output device of the computing device.